The invention relates to a sliding roof and/or a sliding and tilting roof for motor vehicles having a rigid cover closing or at least partially exposing a roof opening as well as optionally, being able to be vented. In particular, the invention relates to such a roof where the cover is guided on a guide rail by a sliding device and, optionally, by a vent device, and where a safety device for protecting against detachment of the cover from the motor vehicle is provided.
A sliding roof for a motor vehicle of the above-noted type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,515. To keep the cover from moving independently in the closing direction, especially during the occurrence of sudden, high deceleration forces, such as in an impact of the motor vehicle, an impact safety device serves to prevent an unintentional closing of the at least partially open cover. In one embodiment of the disclosed impact safety device, an automatic safety belt extends between the cover and the fixed roof part for this purpose.
A sliding roof for motor vehicle is known from German Patent 35 35 126, in which the cover is secured against pulling out of the roof opening as a result of great lifting forces acting on it at extremely high vehicle speeds. In this case, a positive connection is provided, in which a sealing section, fastened irremovably on the cover by a holding frame, engages under a edge of the vehicle roof.
Despite these known embodiments of the sliding roofs for motor vehicles, still as before, there is the danger that, in case of an accident, the cover can come loose from the vehicle. If the cover has come loose from the vehicle, it can fly through the air, and as a result, can cause bodily injuries and/or property damage in the vicinity of the vehicle. Further, there is the danger that passengers in the vehicle, who do not wear seat belts, will be thrown through the exposed roof opening, if the cover comes loose from the vehicle. To prevent such a detachment of the cover from the vehicle, it would, of course, be possible to design and dimension the sliding device and/or the vent device of the sliding roof and/or the sliding and tilting roof so that the cover cannot come loose from the vehicle in case of an impact or an accident. However, in this case, structural dimensions for the sliding device and/or the vent device result, which are incompatible with respect to the requirements for achieving as flat as possible construction of the sliding roof and/or sliding and tilting roof.